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Reading that Ainge met with Love's agent has ignited my gag reflex …but it hasn't stopped me from speculating on the proper value (cost) of such a move. Two years go, Cleveland dealt a pair of former #1 draft picks, Wiggins (legit) and Bennet (bust), to Minnesota and a #1 to Philly…….a heavy price to secure Love and complete a win-now roster.
One NBA writer even claimed back then that Love was a top 4 player in the NBA…"No one can shoot, pass, rebound like Love".
Stats can be deceiving and the Timberwolves' Love was a stat machine….on a bad team. Every NBA team scores lots of points and pulls down lots rebound and the best player on bad teams will always have inflated stats because….someone has to score. The immeasurable is the "winner" factor and the Timberwolves lack of success with "big stats" Love as the talisman should have been a red flag.
Now that the league has seen the Cleveland version of Love, a player that has been marginalized to a role that fits their specific needs ...not Love's, what kind of return would Cleveland demand to ship out Love ...and what kind of assets would the Celtics be interested in giving up?
From a short term perspective, Cleveland would likely value the cap freedom of removing a premium salary from their books which would allow them to immediately shop for a better fitting piece to go after the ring in 2016-17. Since the Celtics can take on salary without having to ship salary to Cleveland, they have a small advantage though the rise in NBA cap level will minimize this advantage. Cleveland will no doubt ask for the #3 Celtics pick in an attempt to recoup their spent capital to secure Love. Unfortunately Love's skill set has been on display in prime time for two years and I can't imagine many teams will see Love as a foundation piece anymore.
Given the amount of remaining salary and the obvious question marks attached to Love's game, if I'm Ainge, I'd take #3 off the table, I'd dangle #16 and maybe throw in Crowder as the sweetener…but no more. I still would try to secure Okafor from Philly with #3 despite all the negativity regarding Okafor's defensive flaws. An Okafor/Love combo gives the Celtics the vertical height they lack and I'd expect both to
benefit from a new system. Love is more than a jump shooter and I'd like to see Okafor in a real NBA system instead of Philly's "lose at all costs" game plan.
Not my ideal roster, but the C's front court is the issue and these two teams (Cleve. and Philly) want to move these pieces. Compared to a couple of 18 year old rookie alternatives…..why not?
I do find it implausible that Cleveland will dump Love next week prior to the draft. I'm sure the Cleveland GM is waiting for instructions from Bron Bron.
One NBA writer even claimed back then that Love was a top 4 player in the NBA…"No one can shoot, pass, rebound like Love".
Stats can be deceiving and the Timberwolves' Love was a stat machine….on a bad team. Every NBA team scores lots of points and pulls down lots rebound and the best player on bad teams will always have inflated stats because….someone has to score. The immeasurable is the "winner" factor and the Timberwolves lack of success with "big stats" Love as the talisman should have been a red flag.
Now that the league has seen the Cleveland version of Love, a player that has been marginalized to a role that fits their specific needs ...not Love's, what kind of return would Cleveland demand to ship out Love ...and what kind of assets would the Celtics be interested in giving up?
From a short term perspective, Cleveland would likely value the cap freedom of removing a premium salary from their books which would allow them to immediately shop for a better fitting piece to go after the ring in 2016-17. Since the Celtics can take on salary without having to ship salary to Cleveland, they have a small advantage though the rise in NBA cap level will minimize this advantage. Cleveland will no doubt ask for the #3 Celtics pick in an attempt to recoup their spent capital to secure Love. Unfortunately Love's skill set has been on display in prime time for two years and I can't imagine many teams will see Love as a foundation piece anymore.
Given the amount of remaining salary and the obvious question marks attached to Love's game, if I'm Ainge, I'd take #3 off the table, I'd dangle #16 and maybe throw in Crowder as the sweetener…but no more. I still would try to secure Okafor from Philly with #3 despite all the negativity regarding Okafor's defensive flaws. An Okafor/Love combo gives the Celtics the vertical height they lack and I'd expect both to
benefit from a new system. Love is more than a jump shooter and I'd like to see Okafor in a real NBA system instead of Philly's "lose at all costs" game plan.
Not my ideal roster, but the C's front court is the issue and these two teams (Cleve. and Philly) want to move these pieces. Compared to a couple of 18 year old rookie alternatives…..why not?
I do find it implausible that Cleveland will dump Love next week prior to the draft. I'm sure the Cleveland GM is waiting for instructions from Bron Bron.
